Portable game



Nov. 14, 1961 M. BERLINER 3,008,718

PORTABLE GAME Filed June 22, 1960 IN V EN TOR.

ATTOFAIFY nited States atent 3,008,718 PRTABLE GAME Murray Berliner, 14-21 212th St., Bayside, N.Y. Filed June 22, 1960, Ser. No. 37,872 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-126) This invention concerns an improved game apparatus.

According to the invention there is provided a game board including a flexible, plastic sheet upon which is marked an array of numbered squares in a predetermined pattern. Players move pieces such as checkers upon the sheet from square to square in a set squence. The first player to reach the last square in the sequence is declared the winner. The sheet can be readily rolled up for transportation and storage. When play is desired, the sheet is unrolled and placed upon a suitable ilat surface such as the ground. Heretofore games of similar character have been marked upon the ground directly. This is time consuming, and a handicap to proper play if the ground is not markable by chalk or the like. Of cours-e, such a game marked on the ground is iixed in position and cannot be moved away. The present invention avoids the foregoing difficulties and disadvantages, and provides many advantages.

It is therefore one object of the invention to provide a game device in which a flexible sheet is marked in a predetermined pattern of numbered squares, for playing by means of checkers or the like,

A further object is to provide a game device of the character described in which a plastic sheet has a roughened non-skid bottom surface and a smooth top surface.

A still further object is provision of a game device including a flexible body having a smooth top surface, a predetermined pattern of numbered squares thereat, and a corrugated non-skid bottom surface, the bottom surface being formed with corrugations adapted to intert and hold the body in a folded condition.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings; forming a material peut of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a game board embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the same board of FIG. l.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View on an enlarged scale of another game board according to the invention.

FIG, 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing another game board embodying the invention.

FIG. 6 is an end elevational View on an enlarged scale of a portion of the game board of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the game board of FIGS. 5 and 6, the game board being in inverted condition.

FIG. 8 is -a sectional view taken on line 8 8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the game board of FIGS. 5-8 in a folded condition.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary end -elevational view on an enlarged scale of the folded game board of FIG. 9.

Referring to FIGS. l, 2 and 3 of the drawings, there is shown a game board 29 including a base 22 in the form of a rectangular exible plastic sheet, having a rough or scored bottom'surface 24 providing a means for preventing sliding and displacement of the board when placed on the ground, on a table, etc. The upper surface of the base 22 is coated with a smooth flexible `layer 25 in which is imprinted or otherwise applied an array of squares 26 i ice at the four playing corners of a square play area 28. Between the corners are juxatposed squares 30. In the center of the area 28 is a square 32 with radiating lines 34 connecting square 32 to circumscribing square 36. Numerals l through 13 generically designated by numeral 38 are disposed in the several squares.

A plurality of disks or playing pieces, such as checkers, pucks'or the like may be disposed on the playing board. Two such playing pieces marked A and B -are shown. The disks will be assigned respectively to several players. Each player will place his disk on numeral l and then will attempt manually or with a suitable implement to push the disk so that it moves freely over the playing area 28 to numeral 2. If the disk stops on the periphery of a square or in the playing area 28 outside of any square, or in a square other than the one to which the disk is directed, then the disk is left where it stops. The next player then starts playing his disk at numeral 1.

Each player may continue playing in turn from the position in which his disk lands after any push. If the disk lands in the numbered square to which it is directed, then the player may continue his turn and push his disk toward the next numbered square. This procedure continues until the playing disk of one player arrives at the central square 32 in which is numeral 13. Dotted line P in FIG. l indicates the direction in which playing piece B must be directed to land in the corner square of numeral 4. Playing piece A is shown disposed between squares having numerals 7 and 2. In one type of play, a player may be permitted to capture an isolated playing piece on area 2S and push the captured piece as a hostage along with his own piece until the players piece reaches the square to which it is directed.

After play is completed the game board 20 can be picked up and rolled into a compact form for easy transportation and sto-rage.

In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 4, game board 20'av has a layer 21 of flexible, transparent plastic material overlaying the number carrying layer 25. The structure is otherwise the same as explained in connection with FIGS. 1-3. The several squares are preferably colored differently from the playing area 28. A colored peripheral margin 29 may be provided all around the playing area 28,

In FIGS. 5-10 there is shown another game board 20b in which the flexible plastic base sheet 22@l is formed with parallel undercut corrugations 32. The numbered layer 25 is disposed on the flat side 31 of the base sheet and arranged as shown in FIG. 1. The corrugations provide a frictional means to prevent slipping of the game board when on a flat surface. FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate how the game board can be folded once along a center line C and at lines L1 and L2 spaced one half the distance from the center line C. By folding the numbered layer 25 upon itself, the corrugated side is outermost and the several corrugations 32 can intert with each other to hold the game board in folded condition.

The game board can be further folded as indicated by dotted lines F and arrow G in FIG. 9, so that its width is reduced to approximately one-eight of its normal full width. The interfitting corrugations can be separated readily to open the game board to its full width when required.

The game board described makes it unnecessary for children to mark the ground such as a sidewalk or a roadway, with chalk, which is obviously an untidy and undesirable practice. The players are provided with a playing facility wherever they set `the game board down, without having to mark out a pattern of squares and numbers before starting to play. The gaine board can be made in various sizes for playing by adults and children and for playing with various sizes of playing pieces. The game can be supplied to the user in a set consisting of a game board and a plurality of playing pieces with or Without a playing implement for pushing the pieces.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is tov be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made Within the scope of the invention as dened in the `appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A game comprising a flexible plastic sheet, having rough and smooth opposite sides respectively, the smooth side being covered with a layer defining a playing pattern, with indicia thereon determining a sequence of play, `and 4 a plurality of playing pieces movable over said pattern in said sequence, said rough side having a series of parallel undercut corrugations extending from edge toy edge thereof, Said sheet being foldable in overlapped relation so that the corrugations intert to hold the sheet in overlapped folded condition.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 442,438 Horsman Dec. 9, 1890 509,316 Lapham Nov. 2l, 1893 1,729,832 Jackson Oct. 1, 1929 1,765,589 Jackson June 24, 1930 2,558,367 Madsen June 26, 1951 2,784,835 Dixon Mar. 12, 1957 

